My bank emails keep going to spam. How do I stop it?

Open your spam or junk folder and find the message. In Gmail, tap the three dots and choose "Not spam". In Outlook, right-click and choose "Not junk". Yahoo has a "Not Spam" button along the top. After you do this once or twice for the same sender, the email provider learns and stops catching them. For extra safety, add the sender's email address to your contacts list, which tells every email provider they are trustworthy.

I set up a filter ages ago and cannot find it now. How do I turn it off?

In Gmail on a computer, click the gear icon, See All Settings, then Filters and Blocked Addresses. You will see every filter you have ever made. Delete any you do not want. In Outlook, go to Settings, Rules. In Yahoo, click the gear, More Settings, Filters. If you find a rule you do not recognise, that is almost certainly why a certain sender keeps ending up in a strange folder.

What is the focused inbox and how do I turn it off?

Outlook has a feature called Focused Inbox that splits your email into two tabs: Focused (important) and Other (less important). It moves emails automatically and makes it look like messages have disappeared when they are actually just in the Other tab. To turn it off, click View, then Show Focused Inbox, to toggle it off. Gmail has a similar feature called Categories (Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates) which can be turned off under Settings, Inbox.

What is the difference between Archive and Delete?

Archive hides an email from your inbox but keeps it forever, searchable from the All Mail folder. Delete moves it to the Trash, where it stays for 30 days and then vanishes permanently. Many people tap Archive thinking they are deleting, or tap Delete thinking they are archiving. If an important email has vanished, check the All Mail or Trash folder first. It is almost always still there.

My missing email is in neither spam nor trash. Where could it be?

Check the All Mail or All Inboxes folder, which shows every email in your account regardless of which folder it is in. Also check the Search bar at the top of the email app and search for a word or sender name you know was in the email. Gmail and Outlook search everywhere, including folders and labels you may have forgotten about. If you still cannot find it, the email may have been deleted by accident and permanently removed more than 30 days ago.

When should I call easyTech Durham instead?

Call us if you have important emails that keep disappearing, if you are finding rules you did not set up, if a family member used to manage the email and now you are not sure what was changed, or if you just want someone patient to sit with you and explain how the folders work. We handle this as part of our phone and computer help service , and we never make anyone feel silly for getting confused by email.

Help Guides

Why are my emails going to the wrong folder?

Emails that end up in spam, hide in an archive folder, or slip into a focused inbox are one of the most frustrating things email can do. The good news is all of the causes are fixable in a few clicks.

Quick Answer

The most common cause is an over-eager spam filter catching legitimate emails. Check your spam or junk folder, find the message, and mark it as "Not spam" or move it to the inbox. Email providers learn from this and stop catching the same sender in future. If that does not fix it, the next most common cause is a filter rule someone set up and forgot about.

Missing important emails is stressful. We can go through the settings with you and fix the rules in about 20 minutes. Give us a call.

The short version

Emails that end up in the wrong folder are almost always caused by one of four things: an over-eager spam filter catching real emails, a filter or rule that someone set up and forgot, the focused or priority inbox hiding messages from less-important senders, or simple confusion between Archive and Delete. All four are fixable without any technical skill, just a few clicks in the right place.

If the problem is that important emails are going to spam, scroll down to the first FAQ below. If messages are disappearing entirely, try the second and third. If you are looking for an email and simply cannot find it, try the last one.

Most of the useful content lives in the FAQ below

We have answered the specific questions we get most often from homes in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa. Scroll down to the FAQ section for the exact fixes, including how to move an email back to the inbox and train the spam filter not to make the same mistake again.

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FAQ

Emails in the wrong folder, question by question

My bank emails keep going to spam. How do I stop it?: Open your spam or junk folder and find the message. In Gmail, tap the three dots and choose "Not spam". In Outlook, right-click and choose "Not junk". Yahoo has a "Not Spam" button along the top. After you do this once or twice for the same sender, the email provider learns and stops catching them. For extra safety, add the sender's email address to your contacts list, which tells every email provider they are trustworthy.
I set up a filter ages ago and cannot find it now. How do I turn it off?: In Gmail on a computer, click the gear icon, See All Settings, then Filters and Blocked Addresses. You will see every filter you have ever made. Delete any you do not want. In Outlook, go to Settings, Rules. In Yahoo, click the gear, More Settings, Filters. If you find a rule you do not recognise, that is almost certainly why a certain sender keeps ending up in a strange folder.
What is the focused inbox and how do I turn it off?: Outlook has a feature called Focused Inbox that splits your email into two tabs: Focused (important) and Other (less important). It moves emails automatically and makes it look like messages have disappeared when they are actually just in the Other tab. To turn it off, click View, then Show Focused Inbox, to toggle it off. Gmail has a similar feature called Categories (Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates) which can be turned off under Settings, Inbox.
What is the difference between Archive and Delete?: Archive hides an email from your inbox but keeps it forever, searchable from the All Mail folder. Delete moves it to the Trash, where it stays for 30 days and then vanishes permanently. Many people tap Archive thinking they are deleting, or tap Delete thinking they are archiving. If an important email has vanished, check the All Mail or Trash folder first. It is almost always still there.
My missing email is in neither spam nor trash. Where could it be?: Check the All Mail or All Inboxes folder, which shows every email in your account regardless of which folder it is in. Also check the Search bar at the top of the email app and search for a word or sender name you know was in the email. Gmail and Outlook search everywhere, including folders and labels you may have forgotten about. If you still cannot find it, the email may have been deleted by accident and permanently removed more than 30 days ago.
When should I call easyTech Durham instead?: Call us if you have important emails that keep disappearing, if you are finding rules you did not set up, if a family member used to manage the email and now you are not sure what was changed, or if you just want someone patient to sit with you and explain how the folders work. We handle this as part of our phone and computer help service, and we never make anyone feel silly for getting confused by email.